In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. I also grow a lesser number of open pollinated seeds of each of these fruits, usually to capture recessive traits. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘Ivory May’.
The present variety was hybridized by me in 2003 as a first generation cross using an unnamed white flesh clingstone peach designated by code number ‘32P462’ as the selected seed parent and an unnamed yellow flesh clingstone peach designated by code number ‘53P100’ as the selected pollen parent. The fruit of this cross was gathered that spring, and the seeds were removed, cracked, stratified, germinated, and grown as seedlings on their own root in my greenhouse. Upon reaching dormancy the seedlings were transplanted as a group to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard located near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). During the fruit evaluation season of 2006 I selected the present variety as a single tree from the group of seedlings described above. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of peach tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to its seed parent, ‘32P462’ (unpatented) peach, by producing peaches that are medium in size, clingstone in type, white in flesh color, somewhat acidic in flavor, and mostly red in skin color, but is quite distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that is firmer and that matures about thirty days earlier.
The present variety is similar to its pollen parent, ‘53P100’ (unpatented) peach, by producing peaches that are firm, clingstone in type, and mostly red in skin color, but is distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that is melting instead of non-melting in texture, that is larger in size, and that is white instead of yellow in flesh color.
The present variety is most similar to ‘Ivory Duchess’ peach (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,282) by producing fruit that is white in flesh color, mostly red in skin color, and clingstone in type, but is distinguished therefrom by having reniform instead of globose leaf glands and by producing fruit that is somewhat acidic in flavor instead of sub-acidic, that is smaller in size, and that matures about fifteen days earlier.